Atlas Workhorse
 
Atlas Workhorse  
30" x 40" oil (1996)  
© Northrop Grumman  


Four of Thiokol's Castor® IVA solid rocket motors help launch a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS from Launch Complex 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Castor IVA strap-on motors give the Atlas IIAS a 20 percent greater payload capacity than any other Atlas launch vehicle. The Atlas IIAS has successfully placed all of its national and international payloads on orbit.

On August 31, 2004 the last of the original Atlas-Centaur boosters powered by Rocketdyne MA-5A engines launched the secret National Reconnaissance Office NROL-1 spacecraft into orbit. It marked the end of an era in Atlas launch vehicles.

  
Artist's Note: The caption reflects the 1996 timeframe.








 
Many of the Northrop Grumman paintings are available as high quality prints trough Northrop Grumman. While not normally available to the general public, the prints are available to military units, aerospace organizations and industry representatives. Reproduced with permission of Northop Grumman. Unauthorized use of this image is strictly forbidden.